Review of Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) by Paul R — 01 Jun 2014

Right! For some reason I have a big hang up with "of the" appearing twice in the title. But repetition of non capitalised title words is not the only absurdity that stopped me getting swept up in the media hype back in 2011. Primates! I have a slight phobia of all things monkey-esque. I'm fine with them really, I just don't like the idea of face biting, rampaging, intelligent and pissed off chimpanzees that want to pound my head in. It probably stems from seeing the first part of 2001: Space Odyssey when I was far too young... Anyway, here we are in 2013 and I decided to see what all the fuss was about. I love the 1968 original Planet of the Apes but detest every single sequel, prequel, reimagining, and remake associated with it. Another reason for my lack of interest... But open minded I closed the curtains and put on the Blu ray.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes looks great, the CGI is top rate. Ceasar looks real, helped along emotionally by Andy Serkis's face work this combination of man and machine has a real positive impact on its realism and credibility... But that's about all I can remember. At the time, I felt it had good emotional weight with some solid characters but now, hours after watching it all blurs into an unmemorable series of events culminating in a decent fight on a bridge. It seemed too long and in hindsight a little lacklustre. Franco once again proved his credentials with another great performance, I loved when he was on screen but his throw away love interest character (whats her name?!... exactly!) and the remaining cast were poorly explored and completely forgettable.

If you are willing to turn off your brain and enjoy a great turn from Franco and some of the most emotionally involving CGI you have ever seen, then this film is very worthy of a watch, just don't expect lasting memories of adoration.